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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23388886">Moon Escape</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltshok/pseuds/boltshok'>boltshok</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Landguard + Icefall [in-universe chronological order] [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Battle, Established Relationship, Injury, M/M, Separation Anxiety</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:40:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23388886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltshok/pseuds/boltshok</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Abandon ship. Both engines destroyed. Fuel tanks compromised. Autobots—it’s been an honor serving with you. Get yourselves to safety. Until all are one.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Icefall (OC)/Landguard (OC), OC/OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Landguard + Icefall [in-universe chronological order] [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What a day,” Landguard groaned, flopping down on their loveseat and hanging his helm over the back.</p><p>“Drama queen,” Icefall groused, joining him with two energon cubes in hand. He gave one to Landguard and then put his arm around his shoulders. Landguard traded hands with his cube and laid his railgun on Icefall’s lap.</p><p>“Hey, this thing is heavy,” he grunted, twisting his arm this way and that until it was finally in a comfortable position. “Wish I didn’t have to keep it.”</p><p>“When this is all over we’ll get rid of it,” Icefall said, running his fingers over the smooth arms of the weapon. “At least you can support something like that.”</p><p>“You’re too beautiful to have something this ugly on you,” Landguard muttered into his cube.</p><p>“There’s not much space for beauty in war, Guardian,” Icefall said, opening his cube and taking a drink. Landguard rumbles softly in thought, leaning into Icefall’s embrace.</p><p>Deep in the bowels of the ship, something exploded and rocked their quarters violently. Landguard was quick to stand and set his cube aside as the ship rocked again.</p><p>
  <em>“Alert: Decepticon boarding party inbound. Prepare to engage.”</em>
</p><p>“Guard,” Icefall blurted, standing up too. “A Decepticon boarding party?”</p><p>“They must have followed our ship from the battlefield,” Landguard said. “Quick. Pack anything you want to keep. Take all the fuel.”</p><p>“Why? What are we doing?” Icefall asked, draining the rest of his cube and subspacing the empty.</p><p>“If we can’t win, we’re going to flee,” Landguard said. “Something we should have done a long time ago. Hurry.”</p><p>Icefall squeezed his shoulder and then started grabbing the meager belongings in their quarters. After a moment Landguard started to help too, and only paused when the explosions grew closer.</p><p>
  <em>“Abandon ship. Both engines destroyed. Fuel tanks compromised. Autobots—it’s been an honor serving with you. Get yourselves to safety. Until all are one.”</em>
</p><p>The shipwide comm made Landguard and Icefall halt and lock optics.</p><p>“Come on,” Landguard said, holding his hand out. “We need to go.”</p><p>Icefall nodded and grabbed his hand, following Landguard into the hall. Priming the railgun on his forearm, Landguard jogged down the hall, Icefall on his heels. Nearly to the shuttle bay, they were intercepted by two big warframe Decepticons.</p><p>Landguard fired on them but they evaded the bolt and approached him with weapons drawn.</p><p>:You have to go: Landguard pulsed, putting himself between Icefall and the Decepticons.</p><p>:I can’t, I can’t: Icefall jittered, pulling out his own small blaster and firing on the Decepticons. He damaged one of their guns, and the opening gave Landguard enough time to charge them and use brute strength to knock them both down and pin one with his foot.</p><p>“Go!” he barked. :Prime a shuttle, I’ll be right behind you:</p><p>Icefall darted forward, then stopped. :Guard...:</p><p>Landguard growled and stomped on the Decepticon under his foot when he stabbed him in the leg. :Icefall. Run. Ready a shuttle, I’ll follow as soon as I can. You can do it:</p><p>Biolights dimming sharply, Icefall took in the fight for a couple more seconds before he turned and ran down the hall. He reached the shuttle bay in minutes and took a moment to steady himself.</p><p>Other Autobots had already reached the shuttles and were departing the ship in droves. He claimed one of the smaller pods, one that would be big enough for them both, and occupied himself with starting the engines. He glanced from the controls to the bay doors anxiously, waiting for Landguard to appear. He was still engaged based off the focused pulses in the sparkbond.</p><p>After waiting a minute, two minutes, Icefall started to sweat with nerves. “Landguard!” he called. :Guard! Come on! Where are you? Time to go, time to go, time to gogogogo-:</p><p>Landguard sprinted into the doorway of the shuttle bay and aimed at something or someone following him. He fired off a shot and turned for Icefall’s shuttle, determination written on his face. At seeing Icefall the intensity melted somewhat and he ran joyfully for the shuttle. Halfway to the shuttle, Decepticons swarmed the hall and fired off an incendiary missile into the bay. Other mecha scattered, but Landguard had his back turned and he took the brunt of the blast.</p><p>Icefall’s vision tunneled as Landguard stumbled and fell to his knees, armor smoking. Bolting from the shuttle, Icefall raced to his side and grabbed his arm, lifting him with hysterical strength and dragging him towards the shuttle. Bullets pinged off their armor, but he didn't look back. Once in the shuttle he laid Landguard on the floor and hit the firing sequence. The door snapped shut and the pod ejected from the shuttle. Coordinates were already pre-programmed for the nearest hospitable celestial body: a small moon at the edge of this quadrant.</p><p>Watching out the small portside window, Icefall looked back at the shrinking Autobot ship, pods firing out of every available dock. Decepticon cruisers swooped in overhead and started targeting the pods as they launched, and Icefall couldn’t hold back the whine burning in the back of his throat. He crouched next to Landguard and examined the smoking wound, but little of it made sense to him. He knew some field medicine, but this... he was burned, badly, and his armor had a gaping, jagged hole in it from where the blast melted through to his protoform. Thankfully it was not bleeding; the blast cauterized the surrounding energon lines.</p><p>Landguard was offline due to the shock. Icefall whined again when a particularly large ship sailed past them and he slowly huddled next to Landguard on the floor for comfort. He clung to as much of Landguard’s frame he could and listened to the slow, steady beating of his spark.</p><p>“Please wake up, wake up,” he whispered. “Wake up...”</p><p>Somehow they escaped the hunt. Their pod, unhindered, flew to the moon without issue and entered the weak atmosphere on autopilot. The light outside vanished when it picked a suitable landing place on the dark side and powered down.</p><p>Everything was quiet save for Landguard’s slow ventilations. Icefall trembled against him until he could navigate his way out of his panic to peek outside.</p><p>The moon was made up of towering grey rocks and some crystalline structures. Sensors identified this moon as suitable for mechanical life and Icefall opened the hatch to look firsthand. The moon was warm, and on the horizon he could see the swell of a large red star filling most of the sky with orange light.</p><p>He closed the hatch and sat on the floor next to Landguard’s prone frame. No need to go out there alone.</p><p>“Guard,” he whispered, holding his arm in his lap. “Wake up... I need you.”</p><p>He didn’t receive a response.<br/>...<br/>It was nearly three full cycles later when Landguard woke, groaning and pushing himself upright. “Ohh... Icefall... my back...”</p><p>“Landguard!” Icefall cried, helping him into a sitting position and grabbing him up in his arms. “Guard, Landguard, we made it, we lived. The ships, and-and the Cons, and... and...”</p><p>Icefall choked up and his babbles cut off as he started to cry, burying his face into Landguard’s chest. Despite the aching, burning pain in his back Landguard slowly wrapped his arms around Icefall and held him close.</p><p>“They shot you,” Icefall sobbed. “It’s been three cycles.”</p><p>He closed his optics and nodded weakly, laying his helm on Icefall’s.</p><p>“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he grunted softly. “You’re... ahh, heavy right now, Icefall. Easy, I’m okay...”</p><p>Icefall pulled back, trembling. Landguard sighed in relief and brought Icefall into a much gentler embrace, stroking his helm and the biolights above his armored collar.</p><p>“Shh... try to relax,” he murmured. “Remember the night we bonded?”</p><p>Landguard’s helm tipped back and a memory floated over the bond. Biolights, in berth. Sparklight. Warm darkness. While his ventilations evened out Icefall nuzzled closer and tried to wipe the tears off his cheeks.</p><p>Once his ventilations are even and quiet, Landguard sighed. :Icefall... I’m very tired. I need to recharge more for self-repair:</p><p>:Okay: Icefall responded, snuggling down next to him against the wall of the pod. :I brought the blankets, here:</p><p>Dragging them out of subspace he flopped them over their legs and put a supporting arm around Landguard’s shoulders. He watched Landguard fall back into recharge, satisfied that he wasn’t mortally wounded, and laid his helm on his shoulder.<br/>...<br/>When Landguard woke a few orns later, he took stock of the pod they escaped in. Icefall was huddled in his lap as much as his frame would allow, sleeping fretfully. Putting his hand on Icefall’s shoulder, Landguard shifted slightly and grunted when his burn pulled apart. The damages to his frame weren’t shallow, but they thankfully avoided his major back struts and support structures. Self-repair had started working on it already and was pinging for more fuel. Rustling around in his subspace, he grabbed a cube, hastily opened it up, and guzzled it down. The pings silenced once his levels went above sixty percent.</p><p>In his lap Icefall stirred, and he helped him slowly sit up against his side. Retrieving a second cube from subspace, Landguard opened it and passed it over. Icefall accepted it and snuggled up against his side.</p><p>:What are we going to do now? We can’t go back:</p><p>:Hmm... is the pod still functional?:</p><p>:Yes, the landing was automated:</p><p>:Then... we could fly to a civilized place. A spaceway or something. Can you call up the map?:</p><p>Icefall drained the rest of his cube and brought up the galactic map in his hands, projecting it in front of them. “We’re here. There’s a market nearby.”</p><p>“Of course,” Landguard groaned, leaning his helm back. “It’ll be crowded there... tell me there’s an Autobot presence at least.”</p><p>“For a port that big I would think there is,” Icefall said, calling up a somewhat grainy, incomplete map of the spaceport. “Couldn’t hurt to check it out.”</p><p>Landguard sighed dramatically and squeezed Icefall’s leg. “Fine. Think you can program the coordinates?”</p><p>“I am more than capable,” Icefall teased, leaning over to peck Landguard’s cheek before he dragged himself upright and flicked the navigation system on. “Is it feeling any better? Your back? The wound, it... I looked, and...”</p><p>“It hurts,” Landguard admitted. “Aches, really. But self repair is working on it. Hopefully the market will have a medical center that can treat it.”</p><p>Icefall nodded, busy punching in coordinates. “And... there! Let’s go!”</p><p>With a swipe of the ignition, he sent the pod hurtling spacewards and returned to help Landguard lay down on his side before joining him on the floor.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took four cycles of off and on propulsion to reach the spaceport. They docked at the only mecha-approved port, yet... there were no other escape pods. After consulting a local map of the market, Icefall found a medibay not too far from the port.</p><p>The market was indeed crowded. Icefall led the way since pedestrians touching his lights wasn’t an issue. Landguard followed after him, brandishing his railgun and puffing up to appear larger and more intimidating to avoid the passing brushes of those around them, but it was hard to avoid when there were so many people. He hated the feeling of other people, <em>strangers</em>, touching him.</p><p>When they arrived at the medibay the door was locked. Icefall knocked politely, then banged a little harder when Landguard had to lean against the wall.</p><p>“Go away!”</p><p>The voice was muffled through the door.</p><p>“Please! We’re Autobots, my bonded needs help! He’s been burned.”</p><p>“I... I can’t help you! Go away!”</p><p>The voice on the other side was full of fear.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Landguard groused, turning back the way they came.</p><p>“No,” Icefall insisted. “We don’t want to hurt you, please, would you see him? You can take me in cuffs, but please, help him.”</p><p>:Icefall:</p><p>:I mean it, you need attention:</p><p>“That... won’t be necessary. I’m going to open the door now.”</p><p>With a squeak the doorway split open the barest degree and revealed a brilliant red Autobot medic. His blue optics trailed up Icefall’s big frame, clearly acknowledging their size differences.</p><p>“May I ask your names?”</p><p>“I’m Icefall, and this is Landguard.”</p><p>The medic peeked out a little further and saw Landguard.</p><p>“Hailing from Polyhex? Judging by your frames.”</p><p>“Born and bred,” Icefall said, laughing softly. “Haven’t been known for that in a while.” He glanced back at Landguard who was glowering like a stray cat.</p><p>“...alright. Hurry, get inside.”</p><p>The door opens more and Icefall beckoned to Landguard. Begrudgingly he followed and went into the medibay.</p><p>“What’s your designation?” Icefall asked once he finally coaxed Landguard into the medibay.</p><p>“Heartstart,” the mech muttered, shutting the door and locking it. “And I’m gonna tell you right now, I’m not happy to be here.”</p><p>“Were you a member on board our ship?” Icefall queried. “The <em>Carrefour</em>?”</p><p>“No,” Heartstart said. “I was supposed to ship out for Delphi but that assignment fell through, now I’m stuck here in limbo.</p><p>He pulled out a datapad and input their names. “You have a spark condition?”</p><p>“We do,” Landguard growled softly. Icefall lifted his hand and kissed it gently before he looked back down at Heartstart.</p><p>“Since the cycle we bonded,” Icefall chimed in. “Why...?”</p><p>“It’s in your chart. Also, spark science is my specialty,” Heartstart said, checking the door of the medbay again. “Spark issues surrounding bonds are... rare these days, as you might expect. Please sit.”</p><p>Landguard glanced at both of the examination berths, then sat on the one closest to him. They were both too small.</p><p>“I’m afraid most of the equipment will be a bit lacking when it comes to your frametype,” Heartstart said, washing his hands. “But it functions.”</p><p>There was a bang in the hallway and he froze, optics locked on the door, before he tentatively resumed washing and then dried his hands. “Asides from the obvious blast damage, are you experiencing any other difficulties? Weaponry malfunctions?”</p><p>“No,” Landguard murmured, keeping his focus on Icefall. Heartstart nodded slowly and brought a medscanner and a tray of tools over to the berth.</p><p>“I’m going to scan it first, then set about patching the damage,” he said, running the medscanner thoroughly over the damaged areas on Landguard’s back. “Are you two soldiers?”</p><p>“We’re part of the army, but... after an incident during our last battle we’d been pulled for an examination,” Icefall said quietly, running his hand over his glowing spark chamber.</p><p>“I’m accessing your files right now... hmm, yes, I see that,” Heartstart said, setting aside his medscanner. “Have you experienced any other guttering feelings? Does the bond feel stable?”</p><p>“Yes, I feel much better now,” Icefall said. “Using my ability that way... it felt wrong. Unbearably wrong.”</p><p>Heartstart nodded and set about probing the blast wound with a probe from his tray of tools. He retracted it when Landguard winced at the depth. “Alright. If you would lie down on your front, please. Icefall, please help him remove the armor around the affected area.”</p><p>Icefall gave Landguard a hand to help him lay down on the tiny berth, arms and legs straddling it awkwardly, before he started removing the damaged pieces of armor on his back. Icefall set the pieces aside and looked to Heartstart.</p><p>“Is that enough? Or more?”</p><p>“That should be enough,” Heartstart said, looking down at the wound. “Landguard, I’ll need to touch you in order to fix all of this damage. I’m going to put you in medical recharge until it’s over.”</p><p>Landguard turned to face Icefall and vented. “Fine.”</p><p>Connecting a wire to a medical port in Landguard’s helm, Heartstart sent the signal for recharge and Landguard’s systems dropped into powerdown one after another. Icefall pulled the other examination berth over and sat on it, swinging his legs and looking down at Landguard’s sleeping frame while Heartstart dug in, cleaning and removing the charred pieces of protoform and wiring.</p><p>“What happened?” Heartstart asked, setting aside a large bundle of burnt tubing, working on splicing in new.</p><p>“Our ship was attacked. While we were escaping, he was shot. We were lucky to get away... many didn’t.” Icefall was quiet for a moment, thinking back on the pods blowing up all around their own. “...why are you here? Alone?”</p><p>“I was supposed to ship out to Delphi on Messatine,” Heartstart repeated, leaning in to oversee his finer welding capabilities. “But... I didn’t. The assignment fell through, I told you.”</p><p>“Yeah, you did,” Icefall said, slowly lying down on the berth he was sitting on. “Just trying to make conversation. Now you run this medical station?”</p><p>Shaving off a bit more burnt protoform, Heartstart nodded. “It’s just me and a repair drone. Well. There used to be a repair drone. It’s just me.”</p><p>Icefall’s optics roamed over Landguard’s sleeping form, taking comfort in seeing his frame being repaired before eyeing Heartstart carefully.</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Silence stretched between them.<br/>...<br/>It took Heartstart a couple orns to repair all the damage and refabricate the damaged armor. Icefall was grateful he had the supplies since metal suitable enough for their armor was rare to come by. After Icefall helped Heartstart put all the pieces back on, he brought Landguard out of recharge to run a self-diagnostic.</p><p>“It... feels good. Feels like normal,” Landguard said, rolling his shoulders. “You do good work.”</p><p>“I would hope so,” Heartstart said, grabbing his tools and taking them back to the counter to be cleaned. “...you two should probably leave now.”</p><p>“Leave? Why?” Icefall asked. Someone rapped sharply on the door from the outside, and Heartstart jumped, shrinking down.</p><p>“They won’t take lightly to you being here,” he whispered, looking from Icefall to Landguard. “Please, you have to go. You have to go.”</p><p>“Easy,” Landguard growled, approaching the door. “Who is it? Cons?”</p><p>“No, no, it’s not that simple,” Heartstart jittered, approaching one of the examination berths and hiding behind it. “It’s the BBC.”</p><p>“The what?”</p><p>“OPEN UP! It’s the BBC. We demand to see your medical license!”</p><p>Heartstart jumped and put his hands over his helm. He’s quaking in his armor.</p><p>“I don’t know what that is,” Icefall said, looking towards the door.</p><p>“Let’s take a look,” Landguard growled, priming his railgun. “You open the door.”</p><p>Icefall nodded and slowly approached the door. He hit the entry button and the door slid open and revealed four aliens wearing riot armor and carrying electrical weapons. Landguard raised his railgun and the soldiers shouted and lifted their own weapons.</p><p>“Medic, you said you were abandoned!”</p><p>“Who are these two?”</p><p>“We’re patients,” Icefall explained, putting his hands up. “We just escaped a destroyed ship. My partner was damaged.”</p><p>“MEDIC!”</p><p>“It’s true!” Heartstart whimpered, curling in on himself.</p><p>:They said he’s abandoned:</p><p>:I figured something like that happened. While you were out, he was... defensive when I asked:</p><p>One of the soldiers took a step forward and Landguard took two, growling sharply. “No closer. Identify yourselves and your organization.”</p><p>“We are the BBC,” a soldier spat. “You are trespassing.”</p><p>“This is an Autobot medical facility, we have a right to access it,” Icefall retorted. “We’ve been fixed, we’ll be on our way.”</p><p>“You will not leave.”</p><p>Their weapons shifted to aim at him and Icefall took a hesitant step backwards. Landguard’s railgun hummed with withheld charge and he passed it over the group of aliens.</p><p>“You are illegals here. Your craft will be impounded and you will be arrested.”</p><p>“We will do no such thing,” Icefall bleeped.</p><p>One of the soldiers’ rifles powered up and before he could react Landguard fired on them. His railgun obliterated the middle two soldiers and seared the outer two, and en masse they fell to the floor.</p><p>“Well, scrap,” he muttered. “Now what?”</p><p>“You’ve doomed us all!” Heartstart shrieked. “They’ll come here and— and kill us!”</p><p>“Not if we leave right now,” Icefall said. “Guard, you lead. Heartstart, come with us. There’s room in the shuttle.”</p><p>“No,” the timid medic said, and Icefall marched over to the berths and pushed them aside to reveal his shaking frame.</p><p>“Come on,” Icefall pressed, and Heartstart shrank back.</p><p>Landguard peeked into the hallway and growled. “Hurry, Icefall! I hear voices.”</p><p>“Grr, you leave me no choice,” Icefall grumbled before he reached down and picked Heartstart up like an overgrown infant. He tossed the squirming medic over his shoulder and hurried after Landguard.</p><p>They charged through the marketplace and accidentally demolished a couple stands before they finally located the right path back to the docking port. A group of BBC soldiers tried to intercept them but Icefall flashed his lights and they went reeling back, blinded.</p><p>Landguard was the first back at the shuttle, Icefall hot on his tail and once they boarded fired up the engines and ejected out of the port as fast as they could.</p><p>“I cannot believe you dragged me here with you,” Heartstart gasped once Icefall put him down on his feet. “I... You... What were you <em>thinking</em>?”</p><p>“Well, we couldn’t let you be killed,” Icefall said, taking control of the pod as they neared a large asteroid. “Guard, are they following us?”</p><p>“It looks like there’s a couple ships after us.”</p><p>“Okay. I’m not the best pilot but I think we can hide in one of these craters up here.”</p><p>Behind the asteroid were others, all pockmarked with dark black holes. The pod zipped into the field and Icefall settled it down into a deep crater before cutting all power. The pod faded into darkness and he breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Hopefully they won’t find us. If they do, we’re scrap,” he joked. “...and I light up the shuttle. Of course.”</p><p>In the pitch black the only light was coming from his biolights, and the crisp ice color made Landguard’s black armor glow blue and Heartstart lit up a pale lavender-pink.</p><p>“We’re scrap,” Heartstart wheezed. “This is a tiny space rock and we’re <em>scrap</em>.”</p><p>He crouched down to huddle in the corner and he covered his helm with his arms.</p><p>:I think he’s a wuss: Landguard snorted.</p><p>:Hey now, I’ve done that before:</p><p>:You’re a wuss sometimes too:</p><p>Icefall giggled and growled playfully at Landguard. “Am not!”</p><p>“Are too!”</p><p>Icefall tried to grab him but Landguard pulled him into a big bear hug.</p><p>“Would you two STOP?”</p><p>Landguard’s hug melted away and Icefall’s brilliant smile softened.</p><p>“Heartstart, it’s going to be fine,” he said, approaching him and crouching down next to him. “This is a good hiding spot. Those little organic ships are going to pass us by and then we’ll keep going.”</p><p>Heartstart didn’t reply so Icefall put his hand on his back. “Speaking of going, where are we going to go? What do you think, Guard?”</p><p>“We never got any instructions,” he grumbled, leaning against the wall of the pod. “What about Heartstart’s assignment? We could be useful in a medibay.”</p><p>“<em>No</em>.”</p><p>Heartstart’s voice was cold. “Delphi’s in the opposite direction. And... no. No.” His voice grew small.</p><p>“Whatever-”</p><p>“Okay,” Icefall said, rubbing his back. “Well, I don’t have a lot of ideas. Once we’re up and running again we’ll see how far our communications reach. Maybe there’s a communication from the others about where they went.”</p><p>Landguard sighed. “Fine. C’mere, flashlight, I’m not waiting by myself.”</p><p>Icefall giggled and left Heartstart in the corner in favor of returning to Landguard’s warm embrace. He leaned against him and sighed happily.</p><p>:Poor Heartstart. I feel bad:</p><p>:...he’s a wuss:</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>boy are you two lucky you didn't end up on Messatine</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They ended up waiting for an entire night cycle before they dared to fire up the engines again. When they left the asteroid field behind they started scanning for communications—they needed to find someplace to land or at least set as a destination before they ran out of fuel.</p><p>“Look! An Autobot signature!”</p><p>Icefall pointed out a glowing dot on the starmap and Landguard squinted at it.</p><p>“Isn’t that too far away? Huh, it’s got a funny name. Earth.”</p><p>“Mmm... no. As long we keep the propulsion to a minimum,” Icefall explained. “Plus, that planet’s important.”</p><p>Landguard gave him a funny look. “Why?”</p><p>“The Prime took his crew to Earth,” Icefall told him excitedly. “We could meet <em>the Prime</em>.”</p><p>“Wherever the Prime goes disaster follows,” Heartstart groused, crossing his arms. “We’re not going.”</p><p>Landguard turned back to him and his lip curled. “We’re going.”</p><p>“No we’re not.”</p><p>“There’s two of us and one of you,” Landguard said, approaching him.</p><p>Heartstart tried to stand his ground before he dropped his optics and backed away.</p><p>“Alright. Fine. Go to Earth,” he muttered. “Anything to get out of this pod.”</p><p>Landguard glanced back at Icefall who gave him a grin and a thumbs-up. “Who knows, Heartstart, maybe some of your medic friends will be there,” he said. “Earth it is!”</p><p>The trip to Earth would take roughly two megacycles at their current rate, slightly too long for their energon reserves, but Icefall reassured them that the fuel he carried in his subspace would be more than high enough in potency to fuel the ship for the final leg of the journey.</p><p>After their travel disagreement, Heartstart refused to speak for three cycles, but by the fifth they were all desperate for <em>something</em> to pass the time.</p><p>“So, Heartstart... you’re a spark medic, but do you know any medicine on... sparking?”</p><p>“Sparking?”</p><p>“You know, kindling,” Icefall said, glancing towards Landguard at the helm. The pod was tight on room with all three of them inside and standing up, so Icefall sat in the back to give the others room to stretch.</p><p>“Yes, I know about kindling,” Heartstart said, a small smile filtering onto his features. “Why? Is one of you expecting? I didn’t read anything on my scan.”</p><p>“No, I just had a question... is it possible to... not be able to kindle? Or be kindled?”</p><p>“Ah, so it’s a fertility question,” Heartstart said. “I can take a scan of your spark and see what frequency it operates on. Depending on the number, you are statistically more likely to kindle, be kindled, or neither. But the last rarely happens. Want me to scan you?”</p><p>Landguard glanced back at Icefall. :Are you sure?:</p><p>:There has to be a reason we haven’t sparked yet:</p><p>“Yes, if you could,” Icefall said, awkwardly wringing his hands. “It’s just... Landguard and I... we’ve been bonded... for a long time now. And... nothing. Not even a fizzle.”</p><p>Heartstart nodded and pulled out his scanner, keying in a few commands before he looked back at Icefall. “I’m ready if you are.”</p><p>Icefall tentatively opened his spark chamber, looking past Heartstart at Landguard. The crystal casing split open and revealed the brilliant, ice-white spark inside. Heartstart eased closer and brought his scanner into the outermost corona of Icefall’s spark. Tendrils of spark energy reached out and caressed the edge of his device and brushed against his fingertips. He held it there for half a breem before retracting it.</p><p>“There. That’s the scan. It’s calculating now.”</p><p>Icefall closed his chamber and let his hand linger over the crystal while he tried to settle down. Landguard left the pod on autopilot and joined him on the floor to put his arm around Icefall gently.</p><p>The scanner beeped.</p><p>Heartstart scanned through the readings, optics growing. “Icefall... your readings are nearly off the charts. You’re not a point-one-percenter, but your spark... it’s strong. Definitely an alpha frequency.”</p><p>Icefall nodded and looked down at his lap. “It powers my lights. Or so I’m told.”</p><p>Heartstart cleared the readings. “I’m sorry to say but the sheer power of your spark would absorb a shard before it could establish selfhood, even if your frequencies were lower. You shouldn’t have much trouble sparking another, though. Landguard, do you want a scan?”</p><p>Landguard shrugged and palmed open his own chamber. He exposed a teal spark that Heartstart carefully scanned, taking care to keep his hands and fingers well away from any part of Landguard he could touch. After the scan, he sat down on the other side of the pod, just a few feet from them, and waited for the results. Landguard closed his chamber and pulled Icefall over to sit between his legs while they waited.</p><p>The scanner beeped.</p><p>Heartstart looked through the readings, nodding and thinking. “Well, you could sustain a newspark. Your spark frequency is lower on the beta range, meaning you won’t shard as easily, but it could still happen. You still have a chance, albeit a slim one, to kindle a sparkling.”</p><p>Icefall sniffled quietly before he turned to curl up on his side against Landguard’s chest.</p><p>“It’s alright,” Landguard murmured, gently petting Icefall’s helm. “It’s okay...”</p><p>“I won’t ever carry,” Icefall rasped, voice choked with barely-withheld tears.</p><p>“But I could,” Landguard murmured. :I know this has been on your mind. I’m sorry:</p><p>Icefall pressed his face into Landguard’s collar and tried to stem his soft weeping.</p><p>“I’ll give you some space,” Heartstart said, standing up and going over to the controls.</p><p>:I’m sorry: Landguard repeated more gently. :I know you wanted this very much:</p><p>Icefall nodded and took a shuddering in-vent, unable to stop the weeping yet.</p><p>:I did. I did:<br/>
...<br/>
It was well into the night when the pod alerted them first to a low-fuel amount and then the proximity to their destination.</p><p>“Three cycles!” Icefall crowed, extracting a glowing green bottle from subspace. “And here’s my fuel contribution.”</p><p>He opened it and was about to take a swig before he thought better of it and deposited the entire amount into the interior fueling dock of the pod.</p><p>“Aww, not all your Nightmare Fuel,” Landguard said, and Icefall pouted at him.</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” he grumbled, corking the bottle and stowing it back in his subspace. “You can’t say I haven’t sacrificed for this trip.”</p><p>Landguard snorted and joined him at the controls, studying the starmap and the distance to Earth.</p><p>“Sacrifice indeed,” he murmured. “Come on, come recharge a little more. We’ll be there soon and who knows when we’ll rest next.”</p><p>Icefall turned back to him and smiled before he let Landguard guide him back to their part of the floor for sleeping. Once he was settled in Landguard’s arms again he let his optics wander the stars outside before he finally slept.<br/>
...<br/>
The pod entered Earth’s northern atmosphere roughly, and crashed hard into a large frozen mass of the planet’s native liquid, water. Icefall opened the hatch and squealed when his lights contacted not only the frozen air of the north but some snowmelt.</p><p>“I regret this choice,” he pouted, stomping back inside. “It’s awful out there!”</p><p>Landguard stuck his helm out and felt some of the snow in his hand. He turned back to Icefall with a mischievous grin and brought the dripping, melting blob back in to smear on Icefall’s back.</p><p>“LanDGUARD!” Icefall yelped, trying to shake the snow out before he returned the grin. “That’s it!”</p><p>Grabbing Landguard by the arms he turned him around and shoved him out of the pod into the nearest snowbank.</p><p>“I am <em>abandoning</em> you two,” Heartstart shouted, exiting the pod calmly. “We need to find the Prime.”</p><p>“Hey! We’re coming!” Icefall called after him. “Guard... Guard! He’s leaving us.”</p><p>“No he’s not,” Landguard grunted, dragging himself out of the pile of fallen snow. “We shouldn’t split up.”</p><p>Icefall glared pointedly at him and waved his hand quickly, and once Landguard was at his side they trudged off after Heartstart into the forest.</p>
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